In SAM’s Snow People, we highlight recent personnel moves that have been made in the mountain resort industry. From resort hires, promotions, and retirements to supplier news, awards and obits, we celebrate the people that make this industry thrive.

PEOPLE

JESSE TRUE, MAGGIE MURRAY, LOUIS SKOWYRA, and TONY CAMMARATA, ARAPAHOE BASIN, Colo.

Jesse True was named vice president of marketing and skier services for Arapahoe Basin.  He brings  over 20 years of experience in the ski industry to the role, most recently serving as marketing director of A-Basin. Previous roles include interim general manager and senior vice president of Copper Mountain, Colo.,  and ski school and Woodward program director at Copper. In his new role, he will oversee A-Basin’s brand, retail, rentals, and snowsports. 

Maggie Murray was hired as the vice president of finance for A-Basin. Murray has spent over 10 years in the ski industry, including in roles at the Keystone Science School, Peak Health Alliance, and at A-Basin earlier in her career.

Louis Skowyra was named director of mountain operations. He will take over all aspects of the physical mountain experience, from ski patrol and snowmaking to lift operations and vehicle maintenance. Skowyra has been with A-Basin since 2006, starting in guest services, then transitioning into ski patrolling for 11 years before moving into mountain ops.

Tony Cammarata has been promoted to the director of development and planning. Cammarata has been with A-Basin for over two decades in various roles, including lift operator, ski patrol, and most recently, mountain operations director. In his new role, he will be tasked with overseeing community and government relations, sustainability, risk and safety, guest services, and select summer operations. 

DEAN PARKINSON, CASTLE MOUNTAIN RESORT, Alberta

Castle Mountain Resort has promoted Dean Parkinson to general manager. Parkinson has been with Castle Mountain since 2016, starting as finance manager before then being promoted to director of finance and inside operations. His other industry experience includes roles at Alpine Canada and WestCastle Ski Club.

STEPHEN HELFENBEIN, SUN VALLEY, Idaho

Stephen Helfenbein has been appointed Sun Valley’s next director of snowsports and guest services. Helfenbein has three decades of experience in the ski industry, serving in various roles including member of the PSIA-AASI alpine National Team, head coach at Alta Performance Ski Camps, and most recently as ski school training manager at Deer Valley, Utah.

SARAH SHERMAN and RILEY WHITNEY, SNOWBIRD, Utah

Sarah Sherman will rejoin Snowbird as the communications manager, a role she previously held for almost two years. Sherman is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Anneberg School of Communication and has nearly a decade of ski industry experience with a focus on public relations and social media.

Riley Whitney has been hired as the communications coordinator for Snowbird. Whitney recently graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a master’s degree in recreation management and policy. 

SHAWN CARNEY, VAIL MOUNTAIN, Colo.

Vail Mountain has named Shawn Carney director of activities, race, events, and terrain park. Carney has spent over 10 years with Vail Mountain in various roles, including event supervisor, terrain park manager, and mountain operations manager. 

BILL ROCK, VAIL RESORTS

Longtime resort leader Bill Rock was appointed president of Vail Resorts' mountain division. Rock currently serves as executive vice president of VR’s mountain division. He has been with the company for 13 years, and has nearly 30 years of experience in the mountain resort industry. Find a full report on SAM’s Headline News.

GEOFF BUCHHEISTER, ASPEN SNOWMASS, Colo.

Aspen Skiing Company named Geoff Buchheister as chief executive officer of Aspen Snowmass. Buchheister currently serves as chief operating officer of Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, Canada, where he has been since 2019. Buchheister has nearly 25 years of ski industry experience, primarily gained at Park City Mountain Resort, Utah, where he spent 16 years in various leadership roles. Find a full report on SAM’s Headline News.

KENT EBERSOLE, OUTDOOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION

Kent Ebersole has been promoted to president of the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA). Ebersole has been with OIA since 2022 and brings in a wide range of experience in media, business strategy, and non-profit consulting. In his new role, he will be identifying new opportunities for economic growth, deliver new programming for clean manufacturing, and increase membership value while advocating for pragmatic trade policies and inclusive practices.

JIM VANDERSPOEL, GOGEBIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Mich.

Gogebic Community College Ski Area Management director and Mt. Zion Ski Area manager Jim VanderSpoel is retiring. VanderSpoel has been in the ski industry his entire career and brought decades of knowledge to the ski area management program. He graduated from the program in 1973 and went on to work at Steamboat Mountain. He moved back to Michigan to help with the construction of Blackjack Mountain and then went on to teach at Gogebic, where he has been for 44 years. He is a member of the board of directors for MSAA, was the longest serving member of the Michigan Ski Area Safety Board, and currently serves on the board for NTSB.

SUPPLIERS

AURÉLIEN BÓNE, MND

Aurélien Bône has been appointed to director of sales, communication and group marketing for MND. Bône brings a long history in sales, including director of sales at elastic ribbon manufacturer Tissage J. Jurine, head of sales at Groupe Husqvarna, and CEO of the Monod company, which specializes in agro-equipment products, public works and green spaces equipment. He has been tasked with implementing MND’s “Succeed Together 2024” strategic plan as well as defining and implementing the group’s overall communication and marketing strategy in France and internationally.

BO ADAMS, MOUNTAINGUARD

Bo Adams will be retiring after nearly 45 years with the MountainGuard program. Adams started with the MountainGuard team in 1978 and was promoted to senior vice president in 1989. Over the years, he has participated in numerous seminars throughout North America for various ski industry organizations, including the National Ski Areas Association, Canada West Ski Areas Association, and the Ontario Snow Resorts Association.

TROY HUDSON, ENTABENI SYSTEMS

Troy Hudson has joined Entabeni Systems as its Canadian manager. In his new role, Hudson will manage the Canadian market by supporting Entabeni as it continues to develop technology offerings for small and independent areas. He will also be supporting Doug fish and the Indy Pass product. He was previously the general manager at Sovereign Lake Nordic Center, British Columbia, where he helped the club double in size and receive numerous recognitions and awards.

AWARDS

U.S SKI AND SNOWBOARD HALL OF FAME

The U.S Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame inducted eighteen members from 2021 and 2022 as well as one member from 2018. These athletes and visionaries were recognized for their enrichment of the global sport of skiing and snowboarding in the United States.

Class of 2022: Gwen Allard (Mendon, Vt.), Tina Basich (Nevada City, Calif.), Gary Black (Sun Valley, Idaho), Shannon Dunn (Steamboat Springs, Colo.), Rusty Gregory (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.), Terry Kidwell (Tahoma, Calif.), Kent Kreitler (Sun Valley, Idaho), Phil McNichol (Revelstoke, B.C.), and CJ Mueller (Breckenridge, Colo.).

Class of 2021: Sven Coomer (Sydney, Australia), Herman Dupre (Seven Springs, Pa.), John Eaves (Calgary, Alberta), Renie and Dave Gorsuch (Vail, Colo.), Peter Graves (Putney, Vt.), Mike Hattrup (Ketchum, Idaho), Jan Reynolds (Stowe, Vt.), and Alan Schoenberger (Park City, Utah).

Class of 2018: Bode Miller (Franconia, N.H.).

TAOS SKI VALLEY, WORLD’S MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES

Fast Company selected Taos Ski Valley, N.M., as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2023 for the resort’s environmental and social responsibility work. Taos is the only certified B Corporation ski resort in the world, and in 2022 it became a certified CarbonNeutral company.

SNOW PARTNERS, TOP WORKPLACE

SNOW Partners, the parent company of SNOW Operating, Snowcloud, Mountain Creek and Big SNOW American Dream, has been recognized as a top place to work in the United States and New Jersey by the Top Workplaces USA and Top Workplaces NJ surveys. Top Workplaces is a national employer recognition program that celebrates organizations with 150 or more employees that have built great cultures. In 2023, 42,000 organizations were invited to partake in the nationwide survey, with recognition based upon the feedback of 20 million participating employees.

MT. HOOD MEADOWS, BEST-IN-CLASS EMPLOYER

Mt. Hood Meadows, Ore., was named a U.S. Best-in-Class Employer by Gallagher’s 2022 U.S. Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking survey for the second consecutive year. The Benchmarking analysis looks at attributes of top-performing mid-size and large employers. Mt. Hood Meadows was recognized for its framework for strategically investing in benefits, compensation, and employee communication.

PC CONSTRUCTION, AGC BUILD AMERICA AWARD

PC Construction won the National AGC Build America Award for the construction of One Spruce Peak, a residential mountain retreat at Stowe Mountain, Vt. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, PC Construction worked with more than 400 trade partners in order to work around the supply chain shortages by creating alternative solutions throughout the project.

OBITUARIES

JOHN KIRCHER, BOYNE RESORTS

John Kircher died January 28, 2023, from cancer. Kircher had been in the ski industry for over four decades, starting his career at Boyne Mountain, Mich., in various roles. He then moved to Big Sky Resort, Mont., in 1981, beginning his long-time role as the resort’s general manager. Kircher would go on to manage four ski areas and become Boyne Resorts president of Western Operations.

He is survived by his wife Kim, son Andrew Kircher, daughter Evelyn Kircher, sister Amy Kircher Wright, sister Kathryn Kircher, brother Stephen Kircher, and several adoring nieces and nephews.

BETSY PRATT, MAD RIVER GLEN, Vt.

Betsy Pratt, former owner of Mad River Glen, Vt., died March 17, 2023, at the age of 95. Pratt, her husband and other investors purchased the ski area in 1972. Pratt played a key role in converting the ski area to a cooperative, and Mad River Glen remains the only cooperatively owned ski area in the United States. She was recognized as a pioneer in the industry and inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in 2022.

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